Patchwork Farm Receives Royal Seal of Approval

16 Jun 2017

On Wednesday 14th June we were delighted to welcome our Patron, HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, who joined the children and young adults at Chailey Heritage Foundation to officially open Patchwork Farm, a new multi-sensory learning environment designed and created for those with complex disabilities.

Patchwork Farm’s new residents include sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens As well as providing the young people at Chailey Heritage Foundation with a wonderful learning resource, in time we will also be opening up the Farm to other local schools. It is not the first time Chailey Heritage has worked with animals, as pupils from the “Farm School” had a working farm during the First World War.

Completely funded by money raised from members of the local community and corporate sponsors, the development of Patchwork Farm would not have been possible without the support of local organisations such as Chandlers Building Supplies and Southern Water. The project also benefitted from a major grant of £21,120 from The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development via the Central Sussex LEADER Local Action Group.

Verena Hanbury, President and Trustee of Chailey Heritage Foundation commented, “Patchwork Farm is an absolutely inspirational addition to Chailey Heritage because it gives every one of our children and young people new, joyful, educational, therapeutic opportunities that are so important for their development. I think it is a really exciting project and I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the people who have supported it and enjoyed our enthusiasm for it.”